Atrazine is a weed killer that turns male frogs into females. It’s linked to birth defects, delayed puberty, and breast and prostate cancers in people.
Here’s something even scarier… Even though this poison is banned in Europe, it’s in 94% of the drinking water—and much of the food we eat—in the U.S.1
About 70 million pounds of atrazine are dumped onto farm fields and lawns in the U.S. each year. If you’ve ever used a “Weed ‘n’ Feed” product on your yard, chances are it contained atrazine.2
The chemical is absorbed into crops, so it ends up in the food we eat. And it leaks into our ground water…so it’s also in our drinking water.
In a new report, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says atrazine is likely harming most species of plants, birds, amphibians, and reptiles.3 And if it’s hurting all the living things around us… You can bet it’s hurting us, too.
Atrazine levels in drinking water are at alarming levels, according to the EPA. The agency found that some water supplies have nearly 200 times the amount that is considered a “level of concern.”5
Drinking Water Turns Male Tadpoles into Females
Nathan Donley is a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. He reviewed the EPA’s new report.
“When the amount of atrazine allowed in our drinking water is high enough to turn a male tadpole into a female frog, then our regulatory system has failed us,” said Donley. “We’ve reached a point with atrazine where more scientific analysis is just unnecessary. Atrazine needs to be banned now.”
We agree. Big agrichemical companies claim they need atrazine to protect crops. But Europe has already proved that is not true. Farmers in Germany and Italy, where atrazine has been banned since 1991, have increased their crop production. Minnesota farmers are using organic herbicides with great success.5,6
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The EPA is now in the process of trying to determine if atrazine should be banned in the U.S. This may take years. Or it may never happen at all.
In the meantime, you should protect yourself and your family. Here’s what you can do:
Your Food: Eat organic. Organic foods do not contain atrazine or other agrichemicals.
Your Lawn: There are natural products that can replace atrazine as a lawn weed killer. One is AgraLawn Crab Grass Killer. It contains cinnamon bark, baking soda, wheat flour, cumin, corn flour, and other nontoxic ingredients. It is applied as a powder and kills the weeds without harming surrounding grass. Try it on a small patch of your lawn to see if it works for you.7
Your Drinking Water: Get a carbon filter water pitcher. It removes atrazine and other harmful chemicals as you pour. Some models cost as little as $10. Or, for about $200, you can buy an under-the-sink system that is even more effective. It combines carbon filtration with reverse osmosis.8
It isn’t just atrazine in your tap water. There could be even more urgent, dangerous threats in each glass you drink… Wonder what else is lurking in your tap water? We recently told you how to find out.
In Good Health,
Angela Salerno
Executive Director, INH Health Watch
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References:
1http://sustainablepulse.com/2016/06/03/new-epa-risk-assessment-will-lead-to-virtual-us-ban-on-atrazine-herbicide/#.V7HiJF6V-Ul
2http://www.panna.org/resources/atrazine
3http://www.alternet.org/environment/deadly-pesticide-atrazine-harming-most-animal-and-plant-species-says-epa-new-report
4http://sustainablepulse.com/2016/06/03/new-epa-risk-assessment-will-lead-to-virtual-us-ban-on-atrazine-herbicide/#.V4u5yFKV-Uk
5http://www.panna.org/resources/atrazine
6http://www.garden-counselor-lawn-care.com/crab-grass-killer-for-st-augustine.html
7http://www.institutefornaturalhealing.com/2016/01/do-you-know-whats-really-in-your-water/